Moogega Cooper (born 1985) is an American astronomer, and the Lead of Planetary Protection for the Mars 2020 Mission and is involved with the InSight Mission. Dr. Cooper also takes part in programs and speaking engagements to encourage young women or and others from underrepresented communities to pursue careers in science and technology.
Cooper was born in 1985 in Southern New Jersey to a Korean mother and African-American father, and World War II veteran. She received a B.A. in Physics from Hampton University in 2006, followed by a Masters and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering with a concentration in thermal fluid sciences from Drexel University College of Engineering. Cooper's dissertation focused on non-equilibrium plasma sterilization of spacecraft materials, enabling her to obtain a position with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's (JPL) Planetary Protection Group in 2011. Cooper is the Lead of Planetary Protection for the Mars 2020 Mission and is a member of the planetary protection team for the InSight Mission. Planetary protection is the practice of protecting solar system bodies from contamination by Earth life and protecting Earth from possible life forms that may be returned from other solar system bodies.
Cooper was a participant on the first season of King of the Nerds, which aired on TBS in 2013, finishing in 5th place. Cooper was a panelist in "The Original Martian Invasion", a 2017 episode of the television series Bill Nye Saves the World. She also appeared in 33 episodes of How the Universe Works from 2015 to 2020.
